Problem: Write the following expression in its most factored form: $2x+20$
Answer: To factor a polynomial, you should first try to find the greatest common factor of all the terms. The factors of $2x$ are $1$ $2$ , and $x$ and the factors of $20$ are $1$ $2$ $4$ $5$ $10$ , and $20$ The greatest common factor of $2x$ and $20$ is $2$ We can factor out the $2$ and put it before the parenthesis. If we divide each of the terms in the original expression by $2$ we get $\dfrac{2x}{2} = x$ and $\dfrac{20}{2} = 10$ So the factored expression is $2(x + 10)$.